First commercial tenants announced

In what is one of the most important years in the history of Battersea Power Station, the Battersea Power Station team behind its regeneration is pleased to confirm the first new shops, restaurants and cafés moving into the first phase, Circus West.

In a line-up that will deliver the village feel, which the team at Battersea Power Station has sought to create for Circus West, the blend of commercial tenants ranges from fine dining through to a butcher, baker, florist and The Village Hall.

Each tenant of the commercial space at Circus West has been specially selected taking into account the quality and individuality of the experience they can offer. These include:

The Village Hall (in partnership with Battersea Arts Centre): a dedicated space for events, arts, residents and visitors.

Delivering on the pledges set out in the Community Charter (LINK) and The Placebook (LINK), which detail the vision and strategic thinking behind the regeneration of the Power Station site, the Battersea team has now put in place key social building blocks, including the Village Hall, that together will serve to establish a robust and solid community in the new neighbourhood.

The Village Hall will sit at the heart of the Circus West site and will offer an active social space for existing and future local residents and the London arts community. A partnership with the renowned Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) was announced in 2015 and BPSDC are working with them and the local community to design the space and develop a programme of activities and performances for all ages that will be on offer including plays, workshops, classes, music performances and community events. In the wider Circus West public realm a seasonally changing cultural programme will run in the unique space alongside the iconic Power Station.

The commercial space at Circus West, which occupies the entire ground floor , is the bedrock of building a vibrant new neighbourhood which not only delivers the community-focused village environment which we know our buyers have been keen to see, but also helps to create an attractive visitor destination when Circus West opens to the public.

Joanne Skilton, Head of Leasing, Battersea Power Station Development Company commented:

“The team at Battersea has looked carefully at all the elements needed to create both a great community and a great place. We have therefore put together a mix of local shops, restaurants and social amenities which will not only give Circus West a distinctive neighbourhood feel, but make it a fantastic place for people to visit when it opens.

“Perhaps the best example of Team Battersea’s commitment to a local tenant strategy can be seen with The General Store. We were approached by a number of big chains. However, we chose the route of these particular independent and local businesses as they have a proven track record in the area, connecting to the community they serve and creating that all important village feel which is what people really want.”

Circus West is located alongside the western edge of the Power Station within a few minutes’ walking distance of Chelsea. It will be home to residents, workers and visitors, who will be able to live, work and spend time in and around one of two fantastic new buildings designed by renowned architects’ SimpsonHaugh and Partners and dRMM. The phase also includes the renovated railway arches and the first elements of the new riverside park.

Circus West is the beginning of the unfolding chapter of London’s newest town centre which, when complete, will host 25,000 people living and working on site, lead to the creation of 17,000 direct new jobs and bring about the first major extension of the London Underground system since the Millennium in a unique public/private partnership.

With more exciting tenant announcements to follow over the coming months, the Battersea team is already working with each business to prepare information and signpost local people to the new long-term retail, leisure, hospitality and estate management jobs that will be created as each phase completes. The Battersea Academy of Skills Excellence, known as BASE, will launch in Spring 2016 to co-ordinate this work and offer an on-going skills development programme.

The new Circus West businesses will open to the public in early 2017. London’s leading river bus service, MBNA Thames Clippers will operate the only service from Circus West to central London from 2017.